“I’m hoping you’ll reconsider.”
She wouldn’t look at him. “I can’t…I won’t.”
“If that’s what you want, okay, but…” He couldn’t find a diplomatic way of telling her how important it was to him that she remain at Med-X. Nothing to do with the company. He wanted her on the job for purely selfish reasons.
“Why is it so critical for you to leave?” At first he’d assumed it was because of his…advances, he supposed the term was. But he’d analyzed each time they’d kissed, plus a few remarks she’d made, and realized she’d wanted him to kiss her. She’d enjoyed their kisses as much as he had.
“Why?” Her head came up and she stared at him. “You’re engaged to another woman. I won’t be your last fling. I’m not interested in an affair, Gary.”
“An affair?” He nearly choked on the words. Not once had it entered his mind that she’d believe he was suggesting such a thing.
“Well, what else am I supposed to think?” she asked defensively. “That’s where we were headed.”
Gary couldn’t deny the electricity between them or the truth of what she said. They had been headed directly for the bedroom. “You’re right,” he said, hardly aware he’d spoken aloud.
“I won’t hurt this woman who’s promised to be your wife….”
“Lorraine.”
“Furthermore, I won’t be part of something illicit. Some furtive noon-hour affair.”
That felt like a slap in the face. “I didn’t, wouldn’t…” He was too flustered to continue.
“Yes, you would. We both would.”
“Okay,” he said, thinking fast. “But now that we’re aware of the pitfalls, we’ll be careful. Before you walk away from a good job, why don’t you take a couple of days, give this some real thought.”
She seemed to be considering his words.
“It’s easy to let our emotions get carried away, but you’re important to this company.” And to me. But he didn’t say it aloud.
Frowning, Marjorie bit her lower lip. “I’ll give it a week.”
“Good.” A load had been lifted from his shoulders. He returned her letter of resignation and hurried back to his office.
A number of business concerns demanded his attention, but he left them, his mind awhirl. Everything Marjorie had said was true. He was engaged. The thought of kissing another woman shouldn’t have entered his mind. But he had kissed Marjorie, and he’d enjoyed it more than anything.
Sure, he missed Lorraine. Quite a bit in the beginning, but she’d been away for such a long time he didn’t know what to think anymore. Even her father couldn’t give him a definite answer about when she’d be back.
One thing was certain—he couldn’t marry her. Not now.
It seemed like a simple decision, and he didn’t understand why it’d taken him so long to reach it. If he truly loved Lorraine, he wouldn’t be this attracted to Marjorie.
He jumped up from his chair and marched down the hallway to her office. When he saw she was talking on the phone, he felt intense disappointment. As soon as he could, he’d tell her….
Soon after that, he had a lunch meeting with a major distributor and then he spent the afternoon preparing a report for the company’s CEO. Marjorie had gone out on some local calls. Before he knew it, the day was over.
Not until he was in his car did he think about stopping at her house. He probably shouldn’t, but the thought of seeing her again was a temptation too great to resist.
Brice came running over the minute Gary parked in front of the house.
“How’re you doin’, kiddo?” Gary asked, and playfully jerked the bill of the boy’s baseball cap down over his forehead.
“Great! Are you coming to see my mom?”
“Yeah. Is she around?”
“Yup.”
Worried that she might not appreciate his entering the house unannounced, Gary asked, “Would you mind telling her I’m here?”
“Sure. She’ll be glad.” The boy dashed up the steps and through the door; half a minute later Marjorie appeared. Gary could tell by the way she hesitated when she saw him that she felt flustered.
“Hello, Gary.”
“Marjorie.” She remained on the top porch step, arms folded protectively.
“I won’t take much of your time,” he said, standing a safe distance away on the lawn. “I came to a decision today, and I want you to know what it is, since it definitely concerns you.”
“Concerns me how? What kind of decision?”
“As you pointed out, I’m engaged. But I’ve learned something—I don’t want to be engaged anymore. Lorraine and I… I don’t know. She’s terrific. Great. We dated for quite a while, and I more or less decided it was time to get married. She felt the same way. That’s why it happened. But I’m breaking off the engagement.”
“Is she back from Mexico or wherever she went?”
“No.” He’d thought about that, too. If she was in Louisville, he’d talk to her that very day.
“So she doesn’t know?” Marjorie pressed.
“Not yet, but I don’t think she’ll be too disappointed.”
“How can you say that?” Marjorie demanded with such outrage, Gary retreated a step in surprise.
“There was no passion between us. No…sparks.” He hadn’t realized that until he’d kissed Marjorie. The sizzle between them was strong enough to shoot sparks into tomorrow.
“Sparks.” She arched a brow.
“I’m not a fickle man, Marjorie. I want you to know that.”
She didn’t reveal any emotion. “Are you breaking the engagement because of me?”
Gary wasn’t sure how to answer. The best policy was the truth, so he met her look squarely, unwilling to discount the intensity of what he felt for her. “Yes. I’ve been waiting all my life for you. I won’t let you slip through my fingers now.”
“Oh, Gary.” She was actually crying.
“Invite him to dinner, Mom.” Brice stood at the screen door.
“Thanks, but I should be leaving.” Gary headed back to his car.
“Gary.”